Fantasy football Week 9 stat projections

Last week, Drew Brees threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns. He was not the top-scoring quarterback in standard-scoring leagues.

Kyle Orton racked up 238 yards and four touchdowns. He may have been the highest-scoring quarterback who went to Purdue, but he was not the highest scoring quarterback overall.

Andrew Luck cracked 400 yards and threw for three scores. There have been seasons, even recent ones, where that would have been the best quarterback performance of the year. 2014 is not one of those seasons.

Tom Brady carved up the Bears, amassing 354 yards and five touchdowns. Surely that had to be the highest-scoring fantasy game from a quarterback, right? Wrong.

The honor belonged to Ben Roethlisberger, who bested Luck and the Colts by throwing for a career-high 522 yards and six touchdowns. Week 9 of the 2014 season marked the first time that four quarterbacks – Roethlisberger and Luck, along with Aaron Rodgers and Nick Foles – threw for 400 yards in the same week. It was also the greatest explosion of fantasy points to date this year.

What brand of fireworks are in store for fantasy owners this week? Find out in the SI.com stat projections for Week 9.

The Saints got back on track last week and now have a great matchup with the Panthers. Expect to see another heavy dose of Ingram against the weak Carolina run defense. This isn’t a terrible matchup for the Panthers, but they ultimately won’t be able to hang with a revived Brees and company.

The Browns’ offense has really struggled without center Alex Mack, and that’s not likely to change any time soon. Luckily for Cleveland, his injury came at about the best point possible, allowing the offense to get accustomed to new personnel against the Raiders and Buccaneers. This could be the last game before the Charles Sims era begins.

An old NFC East clash pits the 6-1 Cardinals against the 6-2 Cowboys. Murray faces quite possibly his toughest test yet, as the Cardinals are a real threat to break his 100-yard streak. Most of the relevant fantasy players in this game should do well, but a lot depends on Romo’s health.

If Philadelphia center Jason Kelce is able to make his return this week, watch out for McCoy. Either way, he’s getting Kelce and guard Evan Mathis back soon, meaning his 2014 breakout should finally be on the horizon.

Vick gets his first start of the season, and it coincidentally comes against Andy Reid and the Chiefs. Vick can’t possibly play worse than Geno Smith has for most of the season, but this looks like it will be a one-sided affair. Expect a big game from Kelce, who needs to be unleashed in the Kansas City offense.

Denard Robinson has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the last two games and has taken over the backfield in Jacksonville. All signs point to Green finally returning from his toe injury, which would open up the entire Cincinnati offense.

This game features two running backs who began the year as backups but have risen to prominence. Both Oliver and Miller are in the top 15 among running backs in points scored, but it’s the latter who will have a big game on Sunday.

McCoy rallied Washington to an improbable win at Dallas last week, but he could very well give way to Robert Griffin III this week. Despite McCoy’s heroics, that would be great news for everyone on the Washington offense. Meanwhile, the Bridgewater-Patterson connection bore its first fruits last week, as the duo connected six times for 86 yards.

The first game between these two NFC West teams resulted in a 31-17 thumping by the 49ers, and it’s hard to imagine why this one will be any different. The Rams just lost Jake Long and Brian Quick, arguably their two best offensive players, for the season last week. Get all your 49ers active this week.

The familiar media narratives may get annoying, but I never tire of games that feature Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. This one is unlikely to disappoint, with the Broncos and Patriots looking like two of the three best teams in the AFC, along with the Colts. With the two quarterbacks likely to match each other point for point, you’ll want all your guys in this game active.

Playing at Seattle may not be the best look for the Raiders' offense. The Seahawks still seem to be trying to figure out exactly what kind of offensive team they are, but they know for certain that they have a running back who can abuse the Raiders. They should feed Lynch early and often on Sunday.

The race to win the AFC North is tight, but the Steelers have to feel good about their chances, given that they have the two most dangerous players in the division in Brown and Bell. Those two will be the difference on Sunday night.

Luck has thrown for at least 300 yards in seven of eight games this year, and has surpasses 340 yards six times. I wouldn’t bet on the Giants slowing down him and this passing offense. They also don’t have enough firepower to hang, though Randle and Donnell are strong plays, especially with six teams on bye.

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